


Save Me From Myself

by this_is_alx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Beta Twins, Drama, Fluff, Hooker!Ethan, Los Angeles, M/M, Misunderstandings, college!danny, hooker!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 04:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1591613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_is_alx/pseuds/this_is_alx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ethan and Aiden never joined the Alpha pack. Instead they ended up in Los Angeles as 19 year old high school dropouts with no jobs and a rapidly depleting inheritance. Ethan, buried under guilt for getting them into this situation, finds the only job he can: sleeping with men for money. <br/>Danny is a computer science student at UCLA. He has a list of failed relationships a mile long. After his boyfriend dumps him because he feels their becoming too committed and ends up engaged to someone else few months later, Danny starts to think that maybe its all his fault. Maybe he's great at being a hook-up but not good enough for a real relationship. <br/>After a chance encounter in a bar, plenty of misunderstandings, and a lot of meddling from their friends, maybe Ethan and Danny can finally realize that they deserve love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Save Me From Myself

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: There is some crude language (a few f-bombs). I don't want to give too much away, so see the end notes for more detailed warnings.

Aiden leveled Ethan with a glare. Ethan crossed his arms and tried to match the fiery expression on his twin’s face.

"Move, asshole," Ethan said through clinched teeth.

Aiden said nothing, only continued to stare venomously at his brother. The tension in the room was palpable. Aiden leaned against the door of their small, crappy apartment. It was barely even an apartment - just a room that they’d tried their best to section off with furniture and curtains, a tiny attached bathroom, and a galley kitchen with outdated appliances against one of the walls.  The room looked worse than usual, with their meager belongings strewn about.

It all started when Ethan inquired about Aiden’s new job over their routine dinner of cup noodles. After months of looking, he’d finally managed to find a job stocking a grocery store first thing in the morning. It was the best that he could do as a 19 year old with no high school degree and no discernible skills in the competitive LA job market. Aiden, already on edge from picking up an extra shift, snapped back at Ethan that he should try to getting a job himself and see what it’s like.

To his credit, Aiden regretted it immediately. He tried to apologize but Ethan was already throwing out his styrofoam container and moving towards the door.

"Ethan, wait," Aiden tried but Ethan ignored him and grabbed his leather jacket off of the back of the couch.

He was focused on getting out of the apartment - running away from the confrontation that he’d spend months avoiding. After all, running was what Ethan did best. Aiden favored fight, Ethan favored flight. Because of this, he blamed himself for the situation that they were in. Aiden would have stayed in Phoenix - the only home they’d only ever really known - and fought the asshole, abusive alpha until he stopped treating them like his own personal punching bags. But Ethan didn’t want to risk it. He packed the few things that they had, checked how much was left of their inheritance that they’d kept hidden from the rest of the pack, and woke Aiden up in the middle of the night. Aiden wanted to stay - Aiden knew that they wouldn’t fare much better as 19 year old high school dropouts with no way to make money and no pack to protect them - but Ethan was ready to run and Aiden followed him as he always would.

So yes, Ethan blamed himself. He blamed himself that they lived in that small, crappy apartment. That even with their werewolf abilities, the neighborhood was a bit too shady for comfort. That they practically lived cheap cup noodles and disgusting bagged cereal.

Aiden reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the door. Ethan tugged his arm away, which only served to anger Aiden. From there, things esclated quickly. Aiden shoved Ethan back away from the door and raged at him. All of his frustrations of the last few months finally boiled over. He yelled at Ethan for disappearing every night, and not coming in until Aiden had already left. He pushed Ethan square in the chest and accused him of being a coward, of running away again because that’s all he ever fucking does.

After a while, Ethan started pushing back and yelling his own sharp words in return.  They fought and threw things and slammed each other into furniture and walls until the apartment was a disaster zone and neighbors were starting to loudly protest.

At some point, Ethan just snapped. He pushed Aiden’s hands off him and shouted out, “I’ve been fucking guys for money! Okay? Is that what you want to fucking hear, Aiden? That’s why I’m out every night and why I wait until you leave so that you don’t smell them on me!”

Aiden froze and silence fell in the room. “What…” Aiden breathed quietly, incredulously.

Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “Our inheritance ran out a while ago. I didn’t want to tell you because…because this is my fucking fault and I should be the one to fix it. It’s the only work that I could find.”

Ethan decidedly didn’t mention how he used his fake ID to get a job as a bartender at a strip club first but that he only last a week or that his boss gave him the chance to get a job as a stripper instead of being fired. He didn’t mention that his boss started making him go to strip at parties or that he only made it to three before he punched a creep for thinking that he could pay for a stripper and get a lot more from Ethan. He didn’t tell Aiden how he ended up letting the same guy fuck him in the alley way behind the club for 50  bucks the night that he was fired. He didn’t say any of that because Aiden’s disgust was already written all over his face. 

"That…that isn’t work," Aiden spit out.

"Well it’s been paying for this shitty place for the last few months!"

"Ethan," Aiden said, uncharacteristically softly, taking a step towards his brother. Ethan didn’t let him finish. He tried to push past Aiden, told him that he had a job to do and to get out of his fucking way.

Aiden pushed Ethan away from the door and blocked it with is own body. That’s how they ended up, arms crossed, glaring at each other.

“Go to bed, Ethan,” Aiden said.

“Get out of the way, Aiden,” Ethan replied, “before I move you.”

Aiden’s face hardened further. “If you think that I am going to let you go out there and throw yourself at some old pervs then you’re fucking crazy. Goddammit Ethan, you deserve more than that!”

Every cell in Ethan’s body wanted to protest, wanted to tell Aiden that, no, he didn’t deserve better because he’d screwed everything up for both of them and  _Aiden_ didn’t deserve any of it. He wanted to tell Aiden why their old alpha really gave them so much hell and why he was guilty and ruined and didn’t deserve more than throwing himself at some old pervs. He wanted to tell Aiden to get away from the door because at least the old pervs paid and having enough money for food and rent was the only way that he knew how to make it up to Aiden.

Instead, Ethan waited until Aiden uncrossed his arms and moved to hug him or something to push past his twin and yank open the door. It closed behind him with a resounding  _slam_!

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS: This chapter includes some crude language, minor violence, mentions of abuse, mentions of sex for money and reference to past minor character deaths. If any of these upset you, don't read!
> 
> I hope you liked it! The next chapter (which will hopefully be up soon) will be centered around Danny and from there on they will alternate. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at this-is-alx. If you want some sneak peeks of upcoming chapters then be sure to follow me. Even if you don't for whatever reason, shoot me a message or send me something because I'd love someone to rant about Teen Wolf with!
> 
> Until next time,   
> Alx


End file.
